Way Out West: Mel Easton

Way out West
Your character is:
Mel Easton
It is the spring of 1884. America’s west coast is slowly
being populated with small towns full of settlers, come to
prospect for precious metals, set up ranches and run
dubious saloons – and now the railroad is coming!
Cactus Gulch is one such small town, founded 20 years
ago and tonight it has a festive air as the townsfolk get
set to start their 20th anniversary celebrations. However,
all is not running smoothly. Land disputes, disreputable
card games, strange folk from out of town and hostile
Indians all add to a tense atmosphere.
Join us in the Silver Dollar Saloon as celebrations begin,
and find out how the evening unfolds…
Mel Easton — South West Rail
You are Mel Easton, here in Cactus Gulch representing South West
Rail (SWR). SWR want to be the company that brings the railroad
from San Francisco to Cactus Gulch.
In spite of your citified, sharp-dressed look, you are a genteel
business person and very ethical – which is much more than can be
said for that low-down weasel Clem Parham, who is here
representing your bitterest rival Mid West Rail (MWR).
You have come up against Clem’s low-down dealings in other deals
for expansion of the railroads, and you haven’t always come out best.
You are desperate for this deal to go through.
Up until a week ago, you thought you were home and dry. The last
important negotiation is with Zeke Calhoun, local wealthy prospector
and landowner – he owns a parcel of land named Fat Bull Range,
which will carry the final section of line into town.
Zeke has agreed a deal in principle with you, chiefly because you
have agreed to divert the rail line around the Indian burial ground.
Zeke’s sympathies for the Indians are well known – and, quite
frankly, you can’t see the point in generating ill will either. Zeke has
been prepared to accept the reasonable sum of $18,000 which would
offset the cost of the diversion.
But now that’s all been blown to heck. Zeke was involved in a
drunken card game with notorious gambler Doc Faraday a week ago,
and seems to have lost the Fat Bull Range to Doc!
Much against your principles, you have had to start negotiations
with Doc Faraday too, just in case he is judged to be the owner of the
land. Sadly, he doesn’t share Zeke’s approach to the burial ground
problem, and you suspect that he will ask for a lot more money too.
Anyway, as soon as the telegraph is up and running again, you will
have to ask your head office what the maximum figure is that you
can offer, still keeping the project financially viable.
With any luck, the extra funds won’t be needed, because Judge
Paulson should rule against Doc Faraday at the judgment tonight.
Heck, you need a drink – so you are at the Silver Dollar Saloon.
However, it looks like the Bartender is climbing onto the bar and is
about to make an announcement…
Zeke’s death
You are shocked and horrified – who could want to kill good old Zeke?
You will cooperate however you can with the law-enforcement
agencies, and be sensitive to the loss of the townsfolk.
Your Goals
 Lucy Calhoun: Express your sympathies and deepest regrets to
Lucy about the death of her father. You will then need to explain
to her your negotiations with Zeke and hope that she’s willing to
honour the deal (assuming Judge Paulson rules in her favor, of
course).
 Clem Parham and MWR: Make sure that everyone knows how
devious and double-crossing Clem Parham can be, and that you’re
the person to deal with.
 The railroad deal: make an ethically sound deal that avoids
desecrating the Indian burial grounds.
 Your budget: As soon as the telegraph is fixed, you should
contact your Head Office and check how much of a budget you are
allowed to negotiate with.
Other people
Clem Parham: Your heart sank when you heard that Mid West Rail,
your company’s rival, were sending Clem Parham as their
representative to Cactus Gulch. You would have liked a break from
being opposite Clem in deals which you so often seem to lose – maybe
it’s time for you to stop being so darned ethical?
Slick O’Hare: You’re sure that you have seen Slick hanging around
with Clem before Cactus Gulch – not difficult to forget that scar on
his face. But you didn’t think he was called ‘Slick’ – wasn’t it more
like ‘Saul’?
Blaise Sadler: You don’t really know Blaise, but she is alleged to have
pocketed marked cards which proved Doc was cheating Zeke Calhoun
in the infamous card game. If that were true, you would be home and
dry.
Doc Faraday: Doc is a wily character, and won’t be easy to negotiate
with. You know his approach to the burial grounds will not be a
sympathetic one. Hopefully you’ll get a lot more funds from head
office to cope with this.
Tips for Beginners

If you’ve not played a Freeform Games murder mystery game before,
then we suggest you start by doing the following:
 Go and talk to Doc Faraday and try to open up negotiations with
him in case he gets the land.
 Go and talk to the Sheriff and ask him about the rumors about
Judge Paulson acting strangely.
 Go and talk to Blaise Sadler and ask her about the marked
cards.
Abilities
You have three abilities, as shown below. Each ability explains
how many times it may be used – check a circle each time you
use it. Once they are all checked, you may no longer use that
ability.
Success!
Ability
If you’re asked to do a Rock-Paper-

Scissors challenge, you can choose to
automatically succeed at it.
Three uses: O O O
Gain Trust
After speaking briefly and
Ability
confidentially to another player,

show them this: they must show you
their Secret.
Three uses: O O O
Sudden Insight
After talking briefly with another
Ability
player, you realize that they revealed

more than they intended. They must
show you their Clue.
Three uses: O O O
Secret and Clue
Your Secret contains your guilty secret, while your Clue contains
one or more items of information you know. Both may be
affected by abilities.
While you can show your Secret and Clue to whomever you like,
you will probably not want to reveal your Secret too often.
(Please note that you can’t solve the mystery by looking at
everyone’s Secret and Clue – it’s not that easy!)
You had agreed a deal with

Secret
Zeke to pay $18,000 for Fat

Bull Range and avoid the
Indian burial ground.
Judge Paulson has been

acting strange lately, and
Clue
you are worried he may

decide against Zeke.
Rules for Way out West
The Bartender’s Word is Law: The Bartender is impartial. If
you have a problem or want to do something unusual, see the
Bartender. The Bartender’s power is absolute – and cannot be
affected by Abilities!
Winning and Losing: You can achieve most of your goals
simply by talking to people. The Bartender will announce when
the game is over. If you haven’t succeeded by that point – you’re
too late! Be warned – not everyone here will want you to
succeed!
Doing Stuff: Ordinary actions are resolved by simply carrying
them out. If you want to try something unusual (such as swing
from a chandelier), see the Bartender. The Bartender knows
everything – and will be able to tell you the outcome of whatever
it is that you are trying to do. (For example, the chandeliers may
be too high to reach.) Do use your imagination, though! – this is
a very flexible game, and you can do all sorts of things beyond
what’s listed in these rules.
Fighting: 1884 was a rough, tough time in Cactus Gulch! Your
character may wish to grapple with, come to blows with, or even
stab or shoot one of the other characters. Should you wish to do
something along these lines though, don’t just dive in! See the
Bartender first and tell them what you plan to do so they can
oversee and give you more detailed rules if it’s necessary.
Leaving the town: Cactus Gulch is in the middle of nowhere
and the surrounding territories can be quite hostile. You are
therefore advised not to attempt leaving town during the course
of the evening.
Item Cards: Any items of importance within the game are
represented as Item cards – and the only items that can affect
the game are those detailed on the cards. If you do not have an
Item card, you do not have that item with you.
Time: Way out West is played over three hours, with extra time
for reading your character etc. There will be breaks to get drinks
and food! The Bartender will keep track of the time for you.
Way out West — Cast List
Locals
 Lucy Calhoun: Zeke Calhoun’s daughter, young woman,
complete tomboy
 Able Blane: The town’s reliable sheriff
 Dan Fairweather: Slow and honest deputy sheriff
 Blaise Sadler: Aging saloonkeeper
 Kalamata Kate: Young waitress
 Doc Faraday: Notorious gambler
 John Paulson: Town’s much-revered judge
Natives
 Three Feathers: Revered Indian shaman
 Runs Like a Deer: Indian woman
Out-0f-towners
 Elijah Entwhistle: Traveling preacher
 Mel Easton: City slicker, South West Rail rep
 Slick O’Hare: Scruffy ranch hand for hire
 Clem Parham: City slicker, Mid West Rail rep
 Christy Martin: Storekeeper from out of town
Way out West is copyright © 2003, 2012 Freeform Games LLP www.freeformgames.com

Way Out West: Mel Easton

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What is the setting and background of the story?

What is the setting and background of the story?

Who are the main characters involved in the railroad deal?

Who are the main characters involved in the railroad deal?

Way out West

Your character is:

Tips for Beginners

If you’re asked to do a Rock-Paper-

confidentially to another player,

player, you realize that they revealed

You had agreed a deal with

Zeke to pay $18,000 for Fat

Judge Paulson has been

you are worried he may

 Able Blane: The town’s reliable sheriff

 Dan Fairweather: Slow and honest deputy sheriff

 Blaise Sadler: Aging saloonkeeper

 Kalamata Kate: Young waitress

 Doc Faraday: Notorious gambler

 John Paulson: Town’s much-revered judge

 Runs Like a Deer: Indian woman

 Mel Easton: City slicker, South West Rail rep

 Slick O’Hare: Scruffy ranch hand for hire

 Clem Parham: City slicker, Mid West Rail rep

 Christy Martin: Storekeeper from out of town

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